Vengeance of a Relic
by Hollow Golem
Summary: Link leaves Termina after Majora's Mask, but he doesn't leave trouble behind him.
1. Prologue

Massive spoilers in this story. If you do not know the outcome of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and want to find out for yourself in the game, I would discourage you to read this story. That said, if you are still hell-bent on reading it, enjoy.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
It was cramped. Not that uncomfortable feeling when you have people sitting so close to you on either side and you can't move without hitting someone with a hip, elbow, or other portion of the human anatomy. He felt cramped because it was like that, but 3-dimensional. There were masks above, below, and to the sides of him. He couldn't do anything, wards against his power were in those masks.  
Majora was trapped.  
It was all that brat's fault. Majora knew what was in the boy's mind, he'd glimpsed that when the two had done battle. He was the Hero of Time, the warrior capable of wielding the Master sword. He was the bane of Ganondorf Dragmire. He was the human raised by elves, the plains boy who grew up in the forest. Last to get his fairy, and even then, she left him. After defeating the evil Gerudo Ganondorf, he felt compelled to leave everything he had ever known: his homeland Hyrule, his childhood friend, his fiance, his blood brother, and all of his friends.   
He was a master swordsman, a perfect gymnast. He could defeat twoscore enemies single-handedly. He could perform a backflip from a standing position. He was capable of fighting with sword, sling, bow, and stave. He could cast spells rooms, arrows, himself, and the air itself.  
He never knew his parents. He always felt helpless, desperate, and alone. Since his 8th birthday, he cried himself to sleep every night. Everyone he cares for is far from him.  
His name... His name is Link.  
The word tasted sweet in Majora's mind. He felt a strong kinship to the boy. Ever since the ancients had imprisoned the wizard in his own mask, Majora had a dark heart. But it still stood that he had to have revenge.  
Link. Revenge. Revenge on Link. That was even sweeter.  
Majora would find a way to Hyrule. Then Link would see his true power. Then Link would suffer. Then Link would pay. Then, Link would die.  



	2. Chapter 1

It was a fine evening. Cloudless and calm, the moon shone bright on a campsite. A horse, barely more than a yearling, slept up against a tree. A small fire burning quickly into embers provided warmth to a boy.   
  
Despite his look of innocence, the boy had killed many an evil monster. He was quite a sight. Light blond hair that was getting a bit long for the boy. Large, blue eyes that could see love for, or evil in, almost anything. The boy had a light complexion, with no sign of the scars he had accumulated from bygone battles. He wore a green tunic, which perfectly fit his lean, muscular frame.  
  
Upon his back was strapped a fine sword gilded with mystic runes. Beneath that, an even larger sword, double bladed, with black roses etched upon its blade. Sitting next to the boy was a fine shield. It had smooth surface, a surface that could reflect anything from magical light, to pure energy. Strapped onto the belt were 6 pouches, a slingshot, a hand lens, and a very unusual contraption. It was called a hookshot, and it was a unique weapon. It worked as a grappling hook, but with a pointed end, which made it effective on soft objects, as well as making it a formidable weapon.   
  
The boy slowly reached to the ground beside him, where sat a beautiful instrument. The Ocarina was marvelous. It emitted a soft, yet radiant light. The boy put the instrument to his lips and placed is fingers in the proper position. He began to play. He played a lively song, one that could make the deaf hear bells and the mute sing. The final note died in the air. The boy shook his head. Even the festive New Wave Bossa Nova could not alleviate his sorrow at leaving yet another world behind. Link had no idea where to go. He was once again all alone except for his loyal steed, Epona.  
  
There was a rustling in the bushes near by. Link immediately snapped up and unsheathed his gilded sword, which he had named Maskcleaver. Standing in a fighting position, ready for whatever was foolish enough to surprise him at night.  
  
  
***  
  
  
"Princess, the emissary from the desert craves audience with you!"  
  
Putting the small, glass-framed picture back into her dresser. "Coming, Impa. Tell Nabooru I'll be right with her. Have Aliria prepare a room and some food for her grace."  
  
Zelda ran down the spiral staircase that led to her chambers, straightening her beautiful broach which resembled the mystical Triforce, the essence of the divine goddesses. As she reached the bottom of the alabaster staircase, Zelda slowed to an elegant walk to enter the reception chamber of Hyrule Castle.  
  
Waiting for her was the emissary of Colossus. A woman with orange skin and dirty blond hair sat on a velvety couch. She wore baggy pants that ballooned out from her strong legs, and a colorful cloth swathed her breasts. Her navel and both ears were pierced, each with a beautiful ruby on its ring. At her side was a wide, sharp rapier, the weapon of choice of the sand people, the Gerudo. This was Nabooru, the respected leader of the Gerudo since the demise of the Dark One. A feared and fearless warrior, only magic could take victory from the strong arms of this woman.  
  
The sand-woman stood and bowed in respect to the princess of all Hyrule. "I`ve awaited your coming, your grace. I come to inform you that the cleansing of the desert has been completed. All of Ganon`s followers have been either imprisoned or hanged. I also come with my trusted council who wish to see your coronation in a fortnight`s time."  
  
"You are welcome here in Hylia, Nabooru. Please stop speaking so formally, we are friends here." At this the two women sat upon the couch previously occupied by Nabooru. "Tell me of the new additions to your clan. How be they?"  
  
"Quite wonderfully, Zelda. They were learning horsemanship and archery when I left. I will need to return in two score nights to present them with their first bridle and quiver, and to witness their carving of their first bows. How is your kingdom?"  
  
"Fine, although not complete."  
  
"I know," sympathized Nabooru, "I too miss Link. But there is nothing to be done now, he has left."  
  
Zelda wriggled her pointed ear at Nabooru. "I believe I hear a knocking on the gate. Booming would probably be King Darunia and Prince Link. Excuse me while I greet my guests."  
  
Nabooru laughed. "I think I'll join you. It's been quite some time since I've seen ol' mallet hands. Let me aid you."  
  
"Gladly. Impa, have the kitchen prepare some refreshments. Keep in mind they are for Gorons, so nothing but top slate will do. Make a lot, too. Judging from the pounding on the gates, there's an entire Goron contingent out there." Zelda couldn't help but smile at the face her ward gave her as she headed to the main gate.  
  



	3. Chapter 2

The young girl timidly stepped out from behind the bush, never taking her eyes off Link. A quick glance at the young female told the hero that she meant him no harm. Another quick glance allowed Link to identify her.  
  
"Malon!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing this far from Lon Lon? Doesn't your father need you?"  
  
"Actually Link," replied the farm girl, "Daddy sent me out to Arpotia to see if I could get anything for this little guy here. Link, meet Disdoru."  
  
At that Link noticed the reptile at Malon's feet, sniffing. As if on cue, the little dinosaur-looking creature ran over and began to nibble on Link's boot.  
  
"That's a dodongo!" he shouted, "You are trying to sell a dodongo at the Arpotian Bazaar? Who would buy that?"  
  
"I'm selling him as a beast of burden, he's quite strong, you know. But in the last couple of weeks, I've begun to feel kinda attached to the little guy." At this the baby giant lizard let out a small little gurgle and began to lick one of the bags on Link's belt.  
  
"I'm not sure if he likes the dodongo-hide bag, or the bombs in it," chuckled Link, "but I sure hope he doesn't plan on taking it by force.."  
  
"I think I'll just tell Father to let me keep Disdo here. I've decided to accompany you home to Hyrule."  
  
"Good, it gives me someone to talk to besides Epona. And now I have someone who talks back." Link reached down and patted Disdoru on the head. Link then walked back to the fire and lay down next to it. "I bid thee good night, milady." With that, Link drifted off into a peaceful sleep.  
  
  
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Link awoke next morning to see Malon boiling some vegetables over a new fire. Without alerting her of his awakening, Link quietly reached over and picked up his ocarina. He began to play a tune which startled Malon and caused Epona to wake up with such as start that she hit her head on a low branch of the tree by which she slept.   
  
"I see you still remember my song," laughed Malon, "So does Epona, it seems." She spooned a bit of the vegetable soup into Link's bowl. "Eat up. I've been awake since first light gathering the ingredients and fetching water from that stream over yonder to feed you lazy oafs."  
  
Within the hour the two had broken fast as Epona grazed nearby. The two packed up, putting most of their supplies on the back of Disdoru, who awoke with a start when Link pounded the ground near his ear. The four travelers began their trek together to Hyrule, lighthearted and happy. They knew not that mere miles away, two vile powers were about to combine.  



	4. Chapter 3

Majora felt something. A small light that cut past even the wards around him.   
  
It was weakening the magical defenses. It just might be his ticket to revenge, if he focused right.   
  
Gathering the last of his waning strength, Majora sent a feeling of desire out to the unwary passer-by. The intent was to draw the host like a bee to honey. Majora had no idea that the host already knew exactly where he was going.  
  
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Suka was an unknown. He was abandoned at the age of 7 and had to grow up alone, on the cruel streets of Arpotia. He had always had a gift for absorbing information, and never forgot a passage of what he read. Lately, he had been feeling a strange tug.  
  
He knew exactly what that tug was. He'd read about it in the castle library when he had scammed the Arpotian king out of 725,000 rupees.  
  
It was the pull of a relic. Records all agreed on the point that a magical devise or artifact could exert a pull, whether intentionally or not, that certain gifted individuals could feel. Suka, having a healthy ego was certain of his inclusion in this endowed group.  
  
And he was always rewarded for being right.   
  
A man came into sight over a ridge. He carried the object of Suka's desire. Suddenly the intensity of the mask's calling increased and Suka could tell exactly where the call was coming from.  
  
On the pack on the man's back hung some twenty masks, and it was only logical to assume that more lay within. That was where the summons was leading Suka.  
  
Lightning quick, he reached down to the ground and picked up a small, sharp rock. With only a second's work of aiming, he laid the unusual man out flat with a well-placed stone throw to the head. Whether he was dead or unconscious was no mind to the thief as he ran to the man's prone body and opened the large sack. After rummaging through the masks inside for a few seconds, Suka found it.  
  
It was a beautiful work. It's component materials consisted of wood, animal bone, paint, and pure magic. Suka had never possessed anything as malignantly wonderful.  
  
It had never possessed someone so exceedingly useful.  
  
  
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If there was one thing princess Zelda could do, it was being a gracious host, in any situation. She was capable of toleration. She could put up with anything. But this was trying her patience.  
  
Gorons ate loud, and messily. It's hard to imagine rocks having crumbs, but gorons found a way to get excess chips of rock all over the table. And the crunching! Zelda felt as though she would go deaf if she heard any more. Excusing herself, Zelda sought the solitude of her courtyard.  
  
Her courtyard. It was a place of memories for her. It was where she first glimpsed Ganondorf. And it was the first place she had seen Link. Well, she had seen him previously, but that was just in a prophecy she had dreamed. It didn't count.  
  
She remembered that day. Even the mischief Link caused when he shot that vase with a slingshot. Boy did he run from that bomb. Zelda thought she would never hear the end of it from her father.  
  
Her father. Zelda hadn't thought of her parents since the evacuation. They were killed by Ganondorf in his attack. Her father died bravely as he bought enough time for Zelda and Impa to escape.   
  
Zelda felt no sorrow for her mother. She never met the woman who bore her. Her mother had run from the castle in the middle of the Goron/Zora War. And she took away Zelda's only sibling.  
  
Her brother. Zelda knew nothing of the boy. He was her twin and she had never set eyes on him. He was stolen away one night and taken southward, or so her father had said.  
  
The only people she had left she could really relate to were Link and Impa. A soft padding behind her made Zelda turn. Behind her stood Nabooru. She had changed her wardrobe during the Gorons' unsettlingly satisfying meal. She now wore the rarely-donned garb that Gerudo only used for very special occasions. It was sleeveless, very practical for the heat of the Gerudo lands. It was a brownish-red color, much like the desert sands in the Colossus.  
  
"How does it look?" asked Nabooru, "I am going to be wearing it for your coronation tomorrow."  
  
"You might want to reconsider that," laughed the princess, "Impa would kill you for having a dress that short at the leg." Both women laughed at the motherly Sheikah.  
  
"I doubt she would mind," said the Gerudo, still chuckling lightly, "She would be too afraid of my reaction." Nabooru was famous for her quick temper when she was asked to change anything by a non-Gerudo.  
  
"If you ladies are quite done, the final guests from the river and the forest have arrived. The Competition will begin soon." came Impa's voice from down the hall.  
  
"Well, I'd better change. I'm representing my people in the arena." With that, Nabooru left toward the room that had been cleared for her.  
  
  
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It was a glorious spectacle. Link would have been proud to have seen the friends he had loved showing their battle prowess. Such a competition had never been held since the rule of the Zelda of the Demonic Brother, the first of the Zelda line.  
  
The first challenge was target practice. The combatants each had their projectile of choice and were ready to throw at the wooden targets that had been set up in front of the castle courtyard.   
  
"The contestants will each attempt to hit the bull's-eye. You will be given 3 tries. The most accurate of these three throws will be marked. The marks will be compared after all contestants have attempted to score," boomed the voice of Impa. "Up first is Nabooru, caliph of the gerudo." You may begin.  
  
The gerudo stood before the fence which marked the closest she could stand to the targets. She held in her hand a small bow, the weapon of choice for a riding gerudo. She stood back and placed her hand on her brow.  
  
With what seemed like no effort, the sand woman pulled back the fine horsehair bowstring and let fly. The quarrel hit the target, just above the center. Without stopping to think, she slightly lowered the angle and shot again. This arrow landed dead center.  
  
The gerudo in the stands let out an uproarious cheer. Their leader walked back to the tent that was set up for her.  
  
"Very well done. Now, Link of the gorons!" Impa bellowed.  
  
The young goron walked to where Nabooru had stood to shoot her bow. He held at his side three rocks. They were about a food long, 4 inches wide at their maximum girth, and their tips were sharpened to a razor sharpness, the products of a master goron smith.  
  
The goron took a few steps back. Sizing up for the throw, Link ran forward and threw the first heavy projectile. It struck the target with a resounding boom. It was to the left of the center. He once again sized up the target and threw up another shaped rock. It struck dead center, right where Nabooru's shot hit. The gorons in the stands went insane, applauding their champion. The prince returned to his rock slab.  
  
"Wonderful throw! Next up is Tajo, the Zora." Impa announced.  
  
The young fish woman took out her boomerang and prepared to throw it for the target.  
  
She suddenly stopped as a loud crash was heard. An audible gasp then erupted from the crowd as not only the party, but the castle wall was crashed by a strange sight.  
  
A living tree walked toward the castle on roots that had been pressed into service as legs.  



	5. Chapter 4

Link awoke to a smart pain in his head and looked around. It was midnight and there were several figures moving away from him toward Malon. Link could see one raise a spear over Malon's head and hit her with the butt. Link could only guess that the same thing had been attempted on him, but botched.  
  
Silently, Link reached out and grasped the hilt of his sword, which he kept underneath him as he slept. Silently he slid the gilded blade out of its scabbard. He pointed the sword and lunged with the speed and ferocity of a mad viper.   
  
His sword met slight resistance and then slid in to pierce scaly flesh beneath the creature's armor. He had stabbed so hard the he had cleaved straight through a thick leather breastplate. A small noise erupted from the creatures throat, the last it would ever utter. Link would know that sound anywhere.  
  
Lizalfos.  
  
The other 5 lizard-men in the raiding party turned, ready to combat the nightstalker that had felled their comrade. Four of them were armed with long, metal-tipped spears. The largest, obviously the leader, wielded a broad sword with a range about 1.5 times that of Link's. Never had he faced Lizalfos this large.  
  
Now that he knew his foe, a battle rage built in Link. Blood rushed to his eyes so that they looked an angry red. His muscles tensed.  
  
With an ease born of practice, he quickly dispatched two of the spear-bearing lizards. Then he jumped back with plenty of space to dodge the lance stabs the remaining two aimed at him.   
  
Without a moment's hesitation, one of the two lunged its spear at Link's heart from point-blank range.  
  
  
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It was a wonderful sensation for Majora, inhabiting the body of a professional con-man. Majora's sheer power matched with the man's intelligence and street-smarts would make the wizard invincible.  
  
Majora was walking in a path of destruction, the wake of the tree that he had animated and sent with all speed to the castle. That would be where Link would be. Majora had glimpsed that, too. The mask knew more about Link than even the boy knew. He knew about the boy's parents, the boy's youth, and, best of all, the boy's sister.  
  
He knew all about her. How she could see prophecy, how beautiful she was. He even knew the intimate details about her, such as the exact pattern of her voice and the length of her ears(exactly 3.62 inches). He knew about them both. He knew the boy's past, and he would be the boy's future.  
  
The puppet man was going to be just a puppet of Majora, and thus Majora killed the man's precious psyche. He would now me Arojam, the living mirror of the ancient lord Majora.  
  
Majora continued to follow the path of destruction, laughing at the destruction that he would wreak which would make his tree monster look like a tame hound.  
  
  
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At that time, the tree and a tame hound were the farthest living things from each other in their mannerisms. The tree was purposefully moving toward the nearest source of meat, Nabooru, whose tent was right next to the wall that had been demolished.  
  
The gerudo ran at the tree with her twin scimitars held ready to hack. She jumped 6 feet in the air over one of the tree's swinging branches and executed a perfect 360 degree flip. She landed just inside the reach of the tree's "arms." She quickly jumped over another swinging tendril and lunged at the tree's trunk in midair...  
  
When she was hit hard in the stomach by a savage blow from a branch as wide as one of her own muscular arms. The force of impact sent her flying 30 feet to the other side of the arena, where she sat, winded. The gerudo champion had been dispatched like a small fly.  
  
And the tree was still moving. It wanted to swat some more insects.  



	6. Chapter 5

Link would have been a goner for sure. Would have, had he been any normal person. Link had the reflexes of a hunting tektite and knew how to use them to maximum efficiency.  
  
The Hero of Time leapt nimbly over the attacking lizalfos' head and landed with his sword sticking straight out behind him. The offending lizardman had been cleaved straight through.  
  
Link then turned and high-kicked the other spear-wielding lizard in the head. There was a satisfying crunch of bone and a rustling of scales as the lizard's brain was crushed under the hero's might.  
  
Link quickly whirled around just in time to parry an arcing slash from the leader of the lizards. The two locked eyes for a moment, but the lizalfos averted his gaze when he realized that the staring contest was just fueling his opponent's strength.  
  
The lizardman stabbed at Link just as the boy flipped back twice and let out a laugh. "You think you're hot stuff, do you, boy?" hissed the lizard, "Well, I'll just have to change your ideas."  
  
Link laughed again as the lizalfos lunged at him. Link sidestepped the oncoming lizard and nonchalantly swung out his left arm, eviscerating the final lizard raider.  
  
Link sat down on a nearby tree stump, waiting to wake Malon up when the battle-lust left him.  
  
  
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When the blood had settled back in Link's veins and he had cleaned his sword, he removed all signs of the battle. After burying the corpses of the lizards, he shook Malon awake. Her stupor began to wear off.  
  
Malon looked around her, and asked what had happened? All she had seen was a lizard above her raise a spear-butt and then lost consciousness, and was Link alright?  
  
"They were only lizard raiders. Nothing to worry about." assured Link, "I doubt will have much more trouble from their kind."  
  
"It's not their kind I'm worried about. I'm beginning to worry about the Coalition. They formed after you left," Malon shuddered, "Some of the things they do are just plain disgusting, while others are cold-heartedly evil. They are trying to attain the power of Ganon and use it for the same ends he did. There are members from every race. A small faction tried to raid the ranch, but Ingo and I fought them off."  
  
Link laughed, "So, when the authorities leave, the bullies show themselves. Well, I'll just have to do something about them. Is Hyrule the only kingdom having trouble with them?"  
  
"There have been no reports from other realms. Just us," then Malon smiled, "You'll be happy to know that the Deku Sprout is now entering full bloom and he found a way for the Kokiri to leave the forest. The elves have been visiting a lot now that they can."  
  
"Interesting. How do they survive outside the bounds of the forest?" asked Link.  
  
"They each take a small twig from the Deku Tree, and it has so much forest essence in it that it keeps them 'close to the forest' at all times," she smiled, "When I first saw you I thought 'This is the most unusual boy I'll ever meet, this Fairy Boy.' and then I met that Mido creep. The second he met me he started gettin' fresh. He needs a serious attitude adjustment.  
  
Link began to chuckle. "That's what I thought when I was growing up with him in the forest. How is everyone else?"  
  
The two began to talk of old times and they spoke long into the next day, stopping only briefly to eat. Then they gathered in the animals and started out to Hyrule again.  
  
Not knowing that they were being followed by very experienced trackers.  
  
  
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Mido grasped his arrow. He wasn't the champion of the Kokiri for nothing. He was a dead shot with sling and bow, and know exactly how to deal with treefolk. He struck some flint together, catching the oil-smeared cloth wrapped around the head of his arrow on fire. Then, he snatched up his fine longbow and let fly.  
  
The flaming missile struck the tree and it fell. It began to burn, slowly at first, but then the fire got a firm hold on the animated foliage. After about a minute, the fire went out, having run out of fuel through which to burn.  
  
The mangled, singed, and torched "body" of the tree laid there dead. None dared go near it.  
  
Impa was first to break the silence. "Well, I guess we'd better wait for it too cool down so we can clean it up." she said in the calm way in which she always expressed herself. "Now, who's for some refreshments in the castle?"  
  
Impa leading the way, all the onlookers entered the castle. The champions and the princess stayed behind.  
  
"By Din! What was that?" asked Link. "I've never seen a walking tree before, let alone a punching tree."  
  
"It was a treefolk, an animated tree. Somehow it got life. I thought they were only myth." stated Mido.  
  
"Well, do you still think them only a myth?" responded Nabooru sarcastically. "I don't like this. That thing wasn't natural."  
  
"I agree with Nabooru. I think something bigger than a living tree was behind that attack," Ruto shuddered, "and I'm not too sure I want to know what."  
  
Well, all we can do now is stay calm and prepared for anything else that may come along. I agree with the two of you. But we can't get totally paranoid over a rogue tree. I say we keep our heads down and sit here until we are absolutely positive what was behind that thing," advised Link, "So far, all we've reached is the consensus that it wasn't natural. That eliminates one choice.. We narrowed down our possibilities by one. Now., lets brainstorm."  
  
Zelda nodded, "You're right Link. You think prettly well for a goron. You will make a fine king when your father retires. I'll have the palace defenses doubled and a herald sent out to warn all of the villages. I'm as confused as the rest of you, but we can't lose our cool over this. I think something bigger is coming. Our job is to be ready for it. And by the goddesses, we will be!"  



	7. Chapter 6

Majora felt the tree's death. He felt its last agony. He felt its fear at the afterlife.  
  
He felt wonderful.  
  
Majora had never experienced such wonder as living through the death of another creature. It was exhilarating. Majora was in a state of bliss.  
  
"Oh well," the wizard said out loud to the surrounding countryside, "I can make an army march on the castle," he chuckled to himself, "Or better yet, make their own past armies march on them. Eh he ha!"  
  
  
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East of Kakariko village there was a stir.   
  
Dampe, keeper of the Hylian tombs was making his rounds of the graveyard. He suddenly felt a slight vibration. Then a small bump appeared, then broke as a skeletal hand lifted out of the ground.  
  
Being very much a sensible man, Dampe knew the safest response to a living skeleton rising from the ground.  
  
RUN!  
  
Behind him, the skeletal hand pulled up a body with rags of skin hanging off the bones. A zombie. Not like the ReDead. They were creations of sorrow. This was a real zombie, one of the original bodies of the dead. He wore rusted armor and held a broken sword, with a cruel, ragged tip. The sword was brown with rust, but that just added to it's killing edge.  
  
More figures began to rise out of their tombs. Another knight here, a dead farmer there. Many had rusty weapons, ranging from daggers to swords to pitchforks. But even those without traditional weapons still had killing edges to fight with: ragged nails and jagged fangs.  
  
The monstrous group began its mass exodus. To Kakariko Village, and then, Hyrule Castle.  
  
  
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Ujna was out searching for her prize chicken when she saw it. The lead zombie walked past her with feathers and blood making a grotesque pattern around it's crooked mouth.  
  
Knowing the fate of her beloved fowl, the one she had spent several years and a great deal of energy raising, Ujna promptly fainted.  
  
  
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At the base of the great Death Mountain, a rock ran up the sloping mountain path. Or what at first would have appeared to be a rock.  
  
The goron made haste to reach the great mountain metropolis that was his home, to warn of the unusual spectacle he had just seen.  
  
"What were they?" he mused to himself, "They were the size of gorons, but their skin didn't even cover all of their bones."  
  
  
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The great whale Jabu Jabu felt a strange tickling on his belly. Looking forward, he saw the decayed corpse of a Zora warrior rise from the water.  
  
The whale closed his eyes, knowing the need for him to conserve his energy for the coming conflict.  
  
On the other side of those lids more razor-finned undead rose from the watery depths.  
  
  
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In the desert of the Gerudo, a body was rising from the sand river. All present watched, ready for a new infant to come out of the sand.  
  
They were surprised to see a fully-grown gerudo rise. Or rather the corpse of one.  
  
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He could feel his newfound control. Majora commanded an army of rotting bone and torn flesh.   
  
Then he permitted himself a cruel chuckle. Hyrule castle would fall, and with it, so would Link.  
  
Majora continued his slow, almost meandering walk. He wanted to enjoy the upcoming battle from a distance, he wanted to see the spectacle, he wanted to witness the genocide.   



	8. Chapter 7

At the time, Link was too preoccupied to enjoy any spectacle.  
  
"I thought Ganon had taken out all of those things. He can't even garden right apparently."  
  
"We thought he had too," said Malon, "But it seems they left seeds."  
  
Link was facing a flower. No ordinary flower, mind, but a Peahat. A flower that could grow to be 5 meters tall from root to petal. The roots were a major thing to the peahat, they offered protection, nutrition, and transportation. In an unusual twist of nature, the peahat spun their roots as though they were helicopter blades, and in doing so protected the root bulb of their flower, the only vulnerable spot on the entire body.  
  
Link was trying to get to that bulb now. The peahat angled it's body so that it's roots dug into the ground. At the speed they were spinning, they tore through bare dirt and rock like scissors through paper.  
  
Link moved back from the mini dust storm that the living flora was creating. He quickly circled around the flower where the roots were raised high. He ran in, gilded sword at the ready. Before he could reach the bulb, however, the peahat quickly changed angle and brought it's murderous blades to bear on Link.  
  
Executing a beautiful somersault, Link jumped over the peahat and landed on it's opposite side. Without even thinking, he plunged his left arm back, impaling the soft spot, and quickly jerking the same arm, quickly dislodging his sword. Link rolled forward just in time to avoid a decapitating blow from the thing's roots.  
  
He then reached into his belt pouch, the fare left one, and took out what looked to be a small rock. He threw it to the ground, bumbled some magic words under his breath, and let out a savage roar.  
  
A huge sphere of fire erupted from Link's body and surrounded him. It then expanded and enveloped the peahat, catching it on fire.  
  
"Thank you Din," Link said as he strode towards Malon and the animals, away from the smoldering remains of the peahat.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The screams reached all the way to Majora, standing by the edge of the moat of Hyrule Castle Town. The foolish Hylians had tried to keep the zombies from entering the castle by raising the drawbridge, but they found a way in.  
Through the sewers they crept, led of course by the zora dead. The zora were also the first to emerge, and the mere sight of them was enough to send the people into a panic. They resembled the skeletons of humans, but with some of the characteristic bones of fish, with blue skin hanging in tatters from their shoulders, heads and arms. The zora were upon the people immediately, resembling sharks homing in on a wounded seal. They leapt upon dogs, children, and women, not having even the slightest scruples as they killed mercilessly.   
The dead of the Hylians were next, and they were just as fierce. They clawed, stabbed, bit, and slashed at their living cousins. They were awe inspiring in their ruthlessness.  
The gorons were quite possibly the messiest of the killers. Instead of slashing their victims, they simply crushed them. Using hammers, rocks, crates, and their own bodies, people were being flattened, leaving bloody messes all over.  
The gerudo, living farthest away, were the last to arrive, and they were angry to have missed the first kills. They even began to slash at their fellow undead with cruel-edged scimitars.  
"They're not even putting up a fight!" laughed Majora aloud, "I don't even think they have the means to fight an undead foe."  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"Get me my things!" Draok called as he rushed to the front of his bazaar. His assistant, a goron salesman who had recently decided to settle down in the shop, quickly handed him a Hylian shield and a sword of Biggoron's design. Lighter than most of his works, the mammoth goron had come up with the idea of such a small weapon due to the severe lack of toothpicks he suffered.  
He then picked up a rather large pouch, about the size of a goron's head, and hefted it over his shoulder, where he tied it to the belt slung over his massive torso. He then took 3 rather small mouse-like apparatus and clipped them to his belt. He then left to do battle with the horrible new menace attacking the city.  
He saw a gerudo first. He reached into the pouch by his shoulder and pulled out a bomb. Squeezing the mechanism that the bomb used as a self-lighting system, he threw it at the desert woman. The explosion ripped the zombie's body to pieces which began to wriggle, still animated, but incapable of movement due to their size and shape.   
The owner of the Hylian bazaar then reached in and grasped another bomb, which he threw at a goron who was advancing the two brothers he knew really well. They ran errands for him to Kakariko occasionally and were a hit as entertainers, with an impressive juggling act and comedy routine. The bomb blew the goron's head off, but the beast continued it's horrible walk, unfazed. Before Draok could even react, the dead goron grabbed the two brothers, one in each hand, and slammed them together. The impact caused the bones, muscles, and blood vessels in the boys' bodies to explode, showering the goron in even more gore. Draok threw another bomb at the goron corpse as he let out an inhuman wail. "I REALLY LIKED THOSE GUYS, AND THEY WERE GOOD CUSTOMERS!!!" he screamed as the goron burst into pieces.   
Draok then saw his wife, beating back a group of zora bodies with a table leg, doing no damage, but keeping them at bay. As blood rose to his head, Draok took one of the 3 bombchus at his belt and set its detonator. He then placed it on the ground.  
The mobile bomb raced at the zoras, and hit the leftmost one. It exploded and bits of bone impaled it's neighbor to the right. As one, the zombies turned in the direction the bombchu came from and raced to Draok. He lifted his sword and shield and prepared for battle. The first zombie reached him at a run, and its head, containing deadly jaws, was sliced off by a goron-made blade. The creature's razorlike claws then slashed at Draok, who managed to raise his shield just in time to block the deadly edges. He quickly reached into his bomb bag and took out 2 bombs, one in each hand. He threw them at the next two zoras, who were incinerated by the heat of the explosions from the bombs. Draok continued to throw bombs, cursing and sweating as he blew zombies to peices.   
After using his third bombchu, the salesman realized he was out of munitions. He drew his sword again and prepared for melee combat with the rotting terrors. He had killed 10 gorons, 16 zoras, 16 Hylians, and 7 gerudo at this point, and wounded several of the zombies, which made for an interesting sight as its fellows would rip it apart and feast on its rotting flesh. After finishing off a gerudo, the battle-crazed merchant ran at a Hylian farmer's decaying body. The dead man stabbed at Draok with a pitchfork, which he quickly parried with his sword. He ducked under the second impaling attack, and game up with an upthrust of his sword. He cut a gash leading from the monster's groin to its left armpit, just as the beast swund it's trident around.  
"I...hate...you...undead...monstrosities," Draok panted as he viciously sliced the things rotting guts, "I hope you are ready for the end of this afterl..." he said as the creature sliced open his heart with the point at the end of the pitchfork.  
The farmer's zombie continued it's advance through Hylians cleaving as though through a field of wheat. It was closely followed by the corpse of a burly man holding a long sword and carrying a Hylian shield.  
  
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Rukasa was violently letting loose from his weapons and trying to stop the undead creatures attacking Hyrule Market. The master marksman and head of the shooting gallery was shooting at an insane pace, impaling monstrous corpses everywhere possible, not killing them, but stopping them.  
He had just pinned a goron's mace-like hand to a wall, stopping the creature while he fought to get his limb free.   
Rukasa then spun and shot a bolt from his longbow at a zora that had just spotted him. The arrow hit true, running up the thing's fin and slicing off the killing edge the thing presented.  
Knowing he was in serious danger, the bowman entered a nearby house, where a nasty surprise awaited him...  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"DIE YOU DEMONS!" shouted a gerudo mage as she unleashed a ball of pure blue-white flame at a group of gerudo zombies. The hellish parodies of herself immediately caught fire, and became small piles of ash in seconds.   
The desert woman turned just in time to see a goron raising his hand in preparation to crush her into the street. She let out a spell as quick as lightning. The spell was a rot curse, and as it hit the clubbing hand of the rock man, the appendage turned a blackish tint and fell off. The mage followed this up with a growth spell, not aimed at the whole goron, just it's stone-filled stomach.  
Just as she set up a protective ward around herself, the organ reached critical mass and exploded, sending shards of rock and muscle everywhere, some of the stones to impale other zombies.  
Then the gerudo felt a sharp pain on her left shoulder. Looking that way, she saw a zora marching toward her, his fin flying through the air toward him. He had apparently just thrown it at her, using the razor fin as a boomerang. Burning with hate, and knowing that her magical energy was expired, she rushed up to the beast.  
Just as she felt the thing dig it's teeth into her forehead, she unleashed her final spell. Both of them disintegrated into small motes of flame.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
The Hylian royal guard was in a mad frenzy. Knights were shooing citizens to safety with one hand and slicing open necromanced copses with the other.  
Guards died by the hundreds, but each took down at least 3 zombies before falling, only to join the ranks of their recent foes.  
  
******************************************************************  
  
Standing just outside the gates, Majora loved the sensation he was feeling, knowing that he would experience even more deaths as the battle progressed. He began to mentally catalogue the people who were joining the ranks of the dead.  
Gerudo, female, 13, impaled through the left atrium.  
Goron, male, 38, decapitated.  
Zora, male, 53, trampled under retreating citizens.  
Hylian, male, 8, heart ripped out by the trampled zora.  
Gerudo, female...  
Hylian, male...  
Zora, female...  
Goron, female...  
Zora...  
Goron...  
Goron...  
Hylian...  
Gerudo...  
Each death was a feast for Majora and a new recruit for his forces in addition. Majora smiled as he began to levitate, floating over the moat to join the battle. He wanted to have blood on his hands. Literally.  



End file.
